SEC Network analyst makes bold prediction for Clemson at South Carolina
Roman Harper hasn’t been shy with his bold predictions since joining the SEC Network. This weekend, he’s calling his shot as it pertains to Clemson visiting South Carolina — predicting the Gamecocks shock the Tigers.
“If? You mean when,” Harper stated, when asked what would happen if South Carolina defeated Clemson. “I’m calling my shot, South Carolina is gonna win this game and they might win by double digits.”
Not only is Harper predicting a victory for South Carolina over Clemson, he believes it won’t be close. Continuing, the Super Bowl XLIV champion detailed why he believes Shane Beamer‘s squad can defeat Dabo Swinney.
“They’ve had this game marked on the schedule for many more weeks now,” stated Harper. “Josh Vann. ZaQuandre Wright. That is how they will do it.
“You have to run the football — be specific in the way you do it. Jason Brown — protect the football, protect the football, protect the football. Be ready to go downtown and take your shots against the organized chaos defense of Clemson.”
While Clemson hasn’t been the Tigers of old this season, they’ve hit their stride over recent weeks. They’ve won four straight games — the latest of such a gigantic victory over Wake Forest.
Still, South Carolina has been on a streak of their own. To illustrate, their last two victories have come over highly-touted SEC programs, like the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers. The team clinched a bowl appearance, but a win over Clemson would be a huge statement for Beamer and company.
Nevertheless, for the first time in a long time we could see a hard-fought battle between South Carolina and Clemson. While it may be closer that Harper thinks, it’s evident the Gamecocks have a shot on Saturday.
Beamer shares heartfelt message after clinching bowl eligbility
As South Carolina readies for Clemson, it’s paramount to look back at the bold move they made this offseason. It was one that many tabbed as ill-advised, replacing former head coach Will Muschamp with Shane Beamer — who had most recently served as Oklahoma’s assistant head coach/tight ends coach.
Moreover, Beamer had never served as a head coach prior to his arrival at South Carolina. Certainly not at the Power Five level, but not even at the Group of Five level. He had only held assistant-coaching roles since graduating from Virginia Tech in 1999. One of the strongest cases for Beamer’s hire, an intangible mark on his resume: he’s the son of College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer, the longtime Virginia Tech coach, who won four ACC titles over his career at the helm.
People mocked and ridiculed the hire. News outlets rated him as the 14th-best head coach in the SEC, ranking him dead last in the conference. Nearly a year after his hiring, Beamer has South Carolina bowl eligible for the first time since 2018, notching victories over heavily-favored teams in Florida and Auburn, and is a legitimate candidate — perhaps even the favorite — to win SEC Coach of the Year. Beamer grew emotional in his postgame press conference following South Carolina’s 21-17 win over Auburn.
“I told you guys two weeks ago (after the Florida win) it was a great night for South Carolina,” Beamer said, choking up. “I didn’t know two weeks later it was going to be even better.”
Beamer’s message to his players was similar, and again, he choked up while delivering a postgame speech in the locker room.
“That was big boy, SEC football. We got that thing to the fourth quarter, and you never flinched. I am —,” Beamer said, before choking up and struggling through the rest of his message. “I’m so proud of you guys.”